WCASD Public Safety Team Members Atended ALICE Instructor Certification
WCASD Public Safety team members Tom Bucco and Kari Brittingham attended ALICE Instructor Certification at East High School.
ALICE offers a unique way to deal with a crisis as an options-based system. As instructors, it is our job to effectively explain ALICE, each individual component, and how they fit together. The class focused on a deeper understanding of ALICE logic and philosophy- the ‘why’ of things. The instructor emphasized that it’s not enough to know the ‘when’ or ‘how.’ Students need to understand why they are doing what they are doing. Why are Alert and Inform so important? If a VCI occurs, why would one area be locked down instead of evacuated? When is Counter necessary?
The class was conducted in a few different ways: instructor-led lecture with PowerPoint, group exercises, small team exercises, and a final presentation. The instructor assigned each attendee a pillar of ALICE to perform a 5-minute presentation. Tom and Kari both felt that although public speaking is not something we look forward to doing, being in front of our peers was a good first step to leading a class.
We are eager to share what we learned with fellow WCASD Public Safety team members and the staff in our school buildings.